Ewoks (TV series)
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''Ewoks'', also known as ''Star Wars: Ewoks'', is animated television series featuring the
Ewok The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species There are a number of lists of fictional species: Extraterrestrial *List of fictional extraterrestrials (by media type) *Lists of fictional alien species: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, ...
characters introduced in '' Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' (1983) and further discovered in '' Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure'' (1984) and its sequel '' Ewoks: The Battle for Endor'' (1985). The series was produced by Canada-based
Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...
on behalf of
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
and broadcast on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, originally with its sister series '' Droids'' (as part of ''The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour''), and then by itself, as ''The All-New Ewoks''.


Premise

The series centers on the adventures of
Wicket W. Warrick Wicket Wystri Warrick, commonly known as Wicket W. Warrick, is a fictional character from the ''Star Wars'' franchise, first introduced and portrayed by Warwick Davis in the 1983 film ''Return of the Jedi''. Warrick appeared in two made-for-televi ...
and his friends on the forest moon of Endor before the events of the original ''Star Wars'' film and ''Caravan of Courage''. Unlike the Ewok films, the characters speak English instead of their native language (though Ewokese phrases and songs are occasionally used). The primary recurring villains are Morag the Tulgah Witch, who had a personal grudge against the tribe's shaman, Master Logray, and the Duloks, a rival species that is related to the Ewoks. The penultimate episode, " Battle for the Sunstar", which was reaired as the series finale, shows the Ewok heroes leaving the forest moon's surface when they go aboard an
Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...
Star Destroyer Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Star Destroyers were produced by Kuat Drive Yards, later Kuat-Entralla Engineering, and serve as "the signature vessel of the fleet" for the Galactic Republic, Galactic Em ...
that has traveled to their system. An Imperial scientist attempts to destroy the
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
, whose shuttle makes an appearance. The episode has been noted as forming a link with ''Return of the Jedi'', which features the Empire using Endor as its base of operations for the
second Death Star The Death Star is a fictional space station and Weapon of mass destruction, superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' Space opera, space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire (Star Wars), Galactic Empire, the Death Star ...
.


Cast and characters


The Ewok tribe

Warrick family * Wicket Wystri Warrick (voiced by
Jim Henshaw Jim Henshaw (born September 28, 1949) is a Canadian actor, screenwriter and film and television producer. Early life and education Henshaw was born in Bassano, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan. Career A mainst ...
then
Denny Delk Denny Delk (born May 28, 1950) is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice of Murray in the ''Monkey Island'' series as well as a range of voices in LucasArts games. Background and career Delk learned a knack of acting from ...
) – The youngest brother of the Warrick Family. He is headstrong and determined and often takes the initiative. Wicket really wants to be a great warrior, which often gets him into trouble. Has dark brown fur and wears an orange hood, but wears a green hood in season two. * Widdle "Willy" Warrick (voiced by John Stocker) – The middle brother of the Warrick Family. Originally called Widdle. He is clumsy, gluttonous and overweight, but exceedingly nice. * Weechee Warrick (voiced by Greg Swanson) – The eldest brother and the strongest of the Warrick Family. * Winda Warrick – The youngest child of the Warrick Family. * Deej Warrick (voiced by
Richard Donat Richard Donat (born 1 June 1941) is a Canadian actor, known for his work in Canadian and American television. He is well known for playing the character Vince Teagues in the Canadian–American TV series, '' Haven''. Donat is the younger brot ...
) – Father to Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda and his wife is Shodu. A very respected warrior of the Ewok tribe. Has dark grey fur and wears a purple hood. * Shodu Warrick (voiced by
Nonnie Griffin Nonnie Griffin (20 October 1933 – 7 June 2019) was a Canadian film, stage, television and voice actress. She studied at the Toronto Conservatory in her native land, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and even with famed mime artist M ...
then
Esther Scott Esther Scott (April 13, 1953 – February 14, 2020) was an American actress. Early years Scott was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, on April 13, 1953. When she was a child the family moved to Brooklyn, New York. She developed an interest i ...
) – Deej's wife and mother to Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda. * Erpham Warrick (voiced by Anthony Parr) – Wicket's great grandfather, once a great warrior for the Ewok tribe and is still looked up to by young Ewoks. Not much is known about Erpham, as he died years ago, but he makes a brief appearance as a ghost when Wicket tries to repair his old battle wagon and instructs him. He was a golden-colored Ewok with a green hood. Kintaka family * Princess Kneesaa a Jari Kintaka (voiced by
Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in ''Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and r ...
then Jeanne Reynolds) – Younger daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. Often the voice of reason and wisdom to her friends, but usually ends up in just as much trouble. She seems smitten with Wicket. Has white and grey fur and wears a pink hood with a blue gem dangling near her forehead. * Asha (voiced by Paulina Gillis) – Older daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. Went missing during Ra-Lee's death and eventually was reunited with the Ewoks. * Chief Chirpa (voiced by
George Buza George Buza is an American-born Canadian actor who is best known for voicing Beast in the '' X-Men Animated Series''. Personal life Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, as a young man and became a Canadian citizen in 1998. C ...
then Rick Cimino) – Widowed father to Kneesaa and Asha. He gives order to the warriors when they are fighting against the Duloks. * Paploo (voiced by
Paul Chato Paul Chato is a Canadian comedian and writer, the president of a web design company, and a former television executive. He was born in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Hungarian parents. Chato grew up in the first planned community in North A ...
) – Kneesaa's cousin, Great Chief Chirpa's nephew and son to Bozzie. He is close friends with Wicket and Teebo. He sometimes joins in when the young Ewoks go on their adventures. He is older, but often acts with less maturity than the younger Ewoks. Has grey fur, with a white face and wears an orange hood with a feather. * Bozzie (voice by
Pam Hyatt Pamela "Pam" Hyatt (born April 9, 1936) is a Canadian actress who played Noble Heart Horse in 1986's '' The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' and the voice of Kaede in the English version of ''Inuyasha'', guest-starred in USA Network's '' ...
) – Chief Chirpa's sister / sister-in-law and mother to Paploo. She can be very bossy and domineering towards the young Ewoks. Teebo's family *
Teebo The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the '' Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...
(voiced by
Eric Peterson Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...
then James Cranna) – Wicket's best friend and the older child of Warok and Batcheela. Fascinated by tales of sorcery and magic becomes his Master Logray's Apprentice. He is a bit of a dreamer, and sometimes a little clumsy. Teebo often lacks discipline, but this is something he learns to master over time from Logray, and eventually becomes a respectful young Ewok. Has ochre fur and he wears a tan, baggy hood with a feather. * Malani (voiced by
Alyson Court Alyson Stephanie Court (born November 9, 1973) is a Canadian actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, her first role was on the series ''Mr. Dressup'' (1984–1994) and she made her film debut in '' Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bi ...
) – The younger child of Warok and Batcheela. She is a close friends with Wiley, Nippet and Winda. She has a crush on Wicket and desperately tries to impress him. Has beige fur and wears a blue hood with a flower in it. Latara's family * Latara (voiced by
Taborah Johnson Taborah Johnson, also known as Tabby Johnson, is a Canadian singer and actress. She is the sister of actor Clark Johnson and rock and jazz singer Molly Johnson. She began her career in the Toronto production of '' Hair'' as a teenager. She was ...
then
Sue Murphy Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * " Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits isla ...
) – Has dark grey fur and wears a yellow hat with a pink feather in it in season one; in season two her fur is light brown and cream, and her hat is heather with a greenish-blue feather. Kneesaa is her best friend. She dreams of being a great musician with her flute, though her main job appears to be looking after her younger siblings. She has a huge crush on Teebo, though he rarely notices it. In the second season, it is the other way round. * Nippet and Wiley (voiced by Leanne Coppen and Michael Fantini, respectively) – Latara's younger siblings. At times, Latara has to stay home to watch over them. * Zephee – The mother of Latara, Nippet and Wiley. She was seen in three episodes: "The Haunted Village", "The Travelling Jindas" and "The Curse of the Jindas". * Lumat – The father of Latara, Nippet and Wiley. He was seen in two episodes: "The Travelling Jindas" and "The Curse of the Jindas". Various * Master Logray (voiced by Doug Chamberlain) – The Ewoks' shaman, and often the dispenser of wisdom and knowledge about the world of Endor.


Others

* King Gorneesh (voiced by
Dan Hennessey Dan Hennessey (born August 25)https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Dan-Hennessey/ is a Canadian voice director and voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe The Zoo Factory (with John Stocker, Bruce Gord ...
and then Cody Ryan) – A leader of the Duloks * Queen Urga (voiced by Melleny Brown) – King Gorneesh's wife and the only female Dulok in the series * Umwak (voiced by Don Francks) – Gorneesh's right-hand man, a Dulok shaman * Morag (voiced by Jackie Burroughs) – The Tulgah witch and evil magic counterpart of Logray * The Phlogs – A race of giants who live on Endor (though they originated offworld) * Baga – A young gentle bordok and Wicket's personal pet * The Hanadak – A purple monster which lives in the forest * The Jindas – A race of canid aliens who live on Endor, and are cursed to an eternal nomadic lifestyle by the Rock Wizard. The Ewoks free them from their curse. Notable Jindas include their leader, Bondo, and magician Trebla. * The Raich – A tree demon that eats animals and was imprisoned by brave Ewok warriors with a magical hat, made by the Gonster, which was placed on its head, turning it into a tree. He is revived when Wicket takes the hat, but eventually defeated again. * The Gonster – A two-headed magician whom Ewoks seek out for spells, potions and traps to defeat monsters. His two heads constantly argue. * The Leaf Queen – A plantlike deity or spirit who dwells on Endor and is entrusted to the care of all its plants. Although kindly, she can be roused to great anger if her plants are harmed. * Dr. Raygar – An Imperial scientist who wants to steal the Sunstar and use it to overthrow the Emperor. After Kazz eventually learns of his treachery, he is arrested for treason. * Admiral Kazz – An Imperial officer tasked with assisting Raygar, who does not know his true intentions. Kazz thinks the Sunstar is a myth and considers the Ewoks not worth bothering over. * PD-28 – An Imperial droid assisting Raygar and Kazz. He eventually tires of working for the abusive Raygar and becomes friends with the Ewoks. * Ploob - A one-time character from the episode "Horville's Hut of Horrors" is a floating green monster that frightens the Ewoks as well as steals their honey and jam.


Production

The series is a follow-up (later stated to be a prequel) to the two ''Ewok'' films: '' Caravan of Courage'' (1984) and '' The Battle for Endor'' (1985), which were themselves spin-offs (and prequels) of ''Return of the Jedi''. The first season of the series was somewhat sophisticated, but in the second, the writing and visual style were both simplified.


Episodes


Season 1 (1985)

The theme song for the first season was written and performed by Taj and Inshirah Mahal.


Season 2 (1986)

With this season, advertised as ''The All-New Ewoks'', episodes are now shorted the 11-minute format meaning two segments per half-hour (with the exceptions of "The Raich", "Night of the Stranger", "The Season Scepter" and "Battle for the Sunstar"). This season introduced a new theme song, "Friends Together, Friends Forever", written and performed by
Patrick Gleeson Patrick Gleeson (born November 9, 1934) is an American musician, synthesizer pioneer, composer, and producer. Career Gleeson moved to San Francisco in the 1960s to teach in the English Department at San Francisco State. Gleeson began experimentin ...
.


Broadcast and home media

''Ewoks'' was broadcast on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, originally with its sister series '' Droids'' (as part of ''The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour''), and then by itself, as ''The All-New Ewoks''. The series ran for two seasons of 13 half-hour episodes between 1985 and 1986 and was later shown in reruns on
Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
's
Cartoon Quest Cartoon Quest was the name of a block of mostly animated television shows that aired on the Sci Fi Channel starting in 1992. Similar to USA's '' Cartoon Express'', it featured reruns of various older cartoons interspersed with interstitial segm ...
. Almost all of the episodes (except for "The Three Lessons" and "Prow Beaten / Baga's Rival") were released on VHS in the 1980s and 1990s, most notably the UK
PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...
releases over six cassettes (''Ewoks'' 1–6), which had the opening sequences and credits edited out. On April 2, 2021, the entire series was released on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
. During the making of the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy, its producer,
Rick McCallum Richard McCallum (born August 22, 1954) is an American film producer. He is mostly known for his work on ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' as well as the '' Star Wars'' Special Editions and prequel trilogy. He is best known for his frequent ...
, oversaw two
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
compilation films, each compiled from four episodes of the series. The first, ''The Haunted Village'', was released on VHS in 1997. The second, ''Tales from the Endor Woods'', was released by
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...
in 2004 on a
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
titled ''Star Wars: Animated Adventures – Ewoks'' (which also features ''The Haunted Village''). The newer film includes narration from "Adult Wicket" (voiced by Alex Lindsay).


Reception

According to David Perlmutter, ''Ewoks'' was "unremarkable both technically and creatively." ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' says the series was made at a time when "television executives had no idea what constituted good children's animated television", comparing it to series like ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...
'', ''
Snorks ''Snorks'' is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and ran for a total of four seasons (consisting of 65 episodes) on NBC from September 15, 1984, to May 13, 1989. The program continued to be available in syndication from 1987 ...
'', or ''
Care Bears Care Bears are multi-colored bears, originally painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. In 1983, the characters were turned into plush teddy bears. The characters headlined their own televis ...
''.
SyFy Wire Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
calls the series "more a marketing ploy for Lucasfilm than a worthwhile extension of the franchise ... designed to sell toys, cereals, and action figures", though mentions that it "featured a few surprisingly entertaining installments that appealed to both parents and kids, particularly the penultimate episode, 'Battle for the Sunstar.'" Some controversy has resulted from the Ewoks' apparent mastery of English while appearing not to speak the language in the ''Ewok'' films or ''Return of the Jedi'' (which are set some years later).


Legacy

Elements from the series are featured in ''Star Wars'' reference media, such as '' A Guide to the Star Wars Universe'' and the '' Star Wars Encyclopedia''. A Dulok was shown on
Coruscant Coruscant () is an ecumenopolis planet in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Its first appearance was onscreen in the 1997 Special Edition of ''Return of the Jedi'', but was first depicted and mentioned by name in Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel '' ...
in Chapter 21 of the 2D animated ''
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to: Star Wars Film and television * ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy * ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
'' (2003). ''Ewoks'' was excluded from canon status in 2014, but some elements appear in the canon ''Ultimate Star Wars'' (2015) and later reference books, as well as the canon web series ''
Star Wars Forces of Destiny ''Star Wars Forces of Destiny'' is a 2D animated web series by Lucasfilm Animation released through Lucasfilm's YouTube channel. Set across multiple eras of the ''Star Wars'' franchise, it is a collection of two- to three-minute shorts centerin ...
'' (2018). The series' opening titles are briefly featured in an episode of ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...
'' fourth season (2022).


Merchandising and media


Action figures

In 1985, Kenner Products produced a series of action figures based on the series. A second wave of figures were prototyped but ultimately cancelled due to poor sales of the initial wave. Several previously released Ewok themed vehicles, play sets, and accessories were advertised on the card backs of the figures but were curiously never offered in Ewoks Cartoon branded packaging.


Comics

In 1985,
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...
, an imprint of
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
, published a bi-monthly ''Ewoks'' comic based on the animated series. It ran for two years, with a total of 14 issues. Like the TV series, it was aimed towards a younger audience and produced parallel to a comic spun off from ''Droids''. Issue #10 of ''Ewoks'' continued the "Lost in Time" crossover story from ''Droids'' #4. Additionally, Spanish comics publisher Editorial Gepsa produced two-page ''Ewoks'' comics as part of an anthology series.


References

Footnotes Citations


Sources

*


Further reading

* ''
Star Wars Insider ''Star Wars Insider'' is the official ''Star Wars'' magazine. It began in 1987 as the official magazine of ''The Lucasfilm Fan Club'', and was renamed in 1994 to coincide with the release of '' Star Wars: TIE Fighter''. Its contents include st ...
'' #27


External links

* *
An informative fan site



A history of home video releases of ''Ewoks''
* {{Children's programming on the American Broadcasting Company in the 1980s Ewoks 1985 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings 1980s American animated television series 1985 Canadian television series debuts 1986 Canadian television series endings 1980s Canadian animated television series 1980s American science fiction television series American Broadcasting Company original programming American children's animated space adventure television series American children's animated science fantasy television series Canadian children's animated space adventure television series Canadian children's animated science fantasy television series Star Comics titles
Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the ''Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in compa ...
Television series by Nelvana Television series by Lucasfilm Animated television shows based on films English-language television shows Animated television series about extraterrestrial life